Handling Electronic Resources Available from Aggregators
Presentation to the Health Sciences OCLC Users
Group Meeting
Panel Discussion
October 28, 2001
The panel included Oliver Pesch from EBSCO Publishing, Gary Ross
of The Gale Group (INFOTRAC and GALE),
and Todd Fegan of Proquest Information and Learning, as well as Barbara
L. Nicholls from Amigos speaking on
OCLC's Collection Sets. Bruce Abbot (John P. Ische Library, Louisiana
State University Health Sciences Center) facilitated the discussion.
Various solutions to the problem of managing information available
through full-text database aggregators were discussed. The focus of
the panel's discussion was solutions that the vendors are providing
for bibliographic description of resources. Vendors described their
participation in technical and other solutions to the "appropriate
copy" issue. They discussed whether they provide MARC bibliographic
and holdings information, whether they participate in industry wide
initiatives such as OpenURL, DOI, etc., and whether they make their
resources available via SFX, CrossRef, etc. They also discussed any
proprietary solutions they provide.
Examples of issues involved are: the inclusion of MeSH Headings and
NLM Classification in shared records; the provision of 856 links in
the MARC holdings records as well as the MARC bibliographic records;
a means of dealing with the frequency with which content is added and
removed from a collection set; and the "Universal Holdings"
concept.
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Oliver Pesch
EBSCO
EBSCO is a full text aggregator and database supplier. Mr. Pesch is
also EBSCO Liaison to the PCC - SCA ((Program for Cooperative Cataloging-Standing
Committee on Automation). Task Group on Journals in Aggregator Databases.
The Task group is "investigating and making recommendations for
a useful, cost-effective and timely means for providing records to identify
full-text electronic journals in aggregator databases. The group is
now charged with recommending vendor record content, for demonstrating
the feasibility of automated generation of record sets, and for communicating
preliminary specifications to the appropriate vendors." He offered
EBSCO's participation in a demonstration record-creation and loading
project and delivered a set of a dozen sample records in MARC communications
format. The interim report (1999) of that task group's deliberations
can be found at: www.loc.gov/catdir/pcc/aggupdrpt.html
EBSCO makes available 35 full text databases, 50 Abstracted and indexed
databases and 7,150 e-journals with 4700 of them at
article level access. The service is described on the EBSCO website
at: www.epnet.com Mr. Pesch emphasized the linking capabilities of EBSCO
software. It is described on the website as "seamless linking from
search results in secondary databases to numerous online resources including
full text databases, electronic journals, library OPACs, ILL/document
delivery services, commercial linking servers and search engines."
EBSCOhost is the web interface/search and retrieval software. "EBSCOhost
offers customizable basic and advanced searching supported by boolean
logic, natural language, enhanced subject indexing and journal searching,
It provides links from the full record display to related articles by
subject, journal issue or author".
Mr. Pesch briefly described EBSCO's services:
- Source of records: machine-derived from CONSER or machine-generated
when needed to which are added a 530 note, a 773 to
reflect database and provider and an 856 with the URL, summary holdings
and an access note.
- Holdings reflected:
SmartLinks software ensures links to full text are to journals and
edatabases that the library subscribes to. Dates are the actual
dates of holdings. Publisher-imposed embargos are reflected in the
notes. Titles are updated monthly.
- Delivery:
EBSCOadmin is the web-based administrative module allowing customization
of options and preferences and usage statistics.
A single de-duped file for all EBSCO databases can be created and
links customized. Automated email delivery each month.
- Recommendations for updating OPAC:
Replacement sets are available monthly. Can add identifying field,
or use high record number range to load records
(easy to purge monthly) Records are not manually edited. To update
database, delete all records for a product then reload
latest batch of records. Need to be able to undo what you have added.
- Alternatives supported: EBSCO is working with other organizations
to provide files that update titles from other sources such as
PubMed and Serials Solutions as well as interfacing with jake.
Ed. note: jake
stands for Jointly Administered Knowledge Environment. It is a full-text
linking and reference tool initially organized
at Yale, but now a joint project of members of the international library
community and hosted at ibiblio ( http://ibiblio.org/about.html
)
It records content lists of (as of June 2002) 195 databases of full-text
journals and other citation databases and provides linking
software for libraries. Check out their website at http://jake-db
. Creation of simple USMARC records for full-text journals in any
of
the databases listed in jake is possible with software (free) created
by Mark Jordan, more information at http://jake.lib.sfu.ca/jake2marc/
]
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Gary Ross
InfoTrac
Gary Ross from The Gale Group spoke about InfoTrac developments. The
website is http://www.galegroup.com
and search
"infotrac" in search box. InfoTrac is one of the first aggregators of
journals and databases, marketed to schools and colleges
and public libraries. It has now created Total Access 2.0, described
on its website:
"Total Access 2.0 is an innovative meta-search management
system that sends a search request to multiple Web sites, and returns
a list of results. Sites will display when selected from the results
list. Total Access 2.0 goes to target Web sites and those Web sites
do the actual searching, returning matching hits. It then displays them
in the results panel, allowing users to choose from those results."
To take a tour of the TotalAccess product visit their website at: http://www.galegroup.com/TotalAccess/
Infotrac Technology has been a DOS program for the last 8 years. In
Jan 2001 they implemented links to library OPACs. The
automatic link used in InfoTrac is the periodical ISSN. Can query OPAC
for results in a new window. It works with most web-based
OPACs. Hot links can be placed on MARC records, in the 856. "InfoMarks
[placed in the 856] allow users to copy and paste URLs
from the search interface into their own applications. Like saved searches,
InfoMarks is dynamic, so users always get the most
up-to-date results. InfoMarks created with InfoTrac Web at one location
may be used at another location, on or off campus, that
is part of the same database subscription. Can also use a "jake"
record for ASCII field tagging. Links to holdings and to other open
URL/SFX compliant resources. are provided at the citation level. (Open
URL allows multiple search types and data access.)
INFOTRAC's goal is to send data according to a standard, then the individual
library can customize what is done with it.
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Proquest
Todd Fegan
ProQuest Evolution:
ProQuest Online - 1995
First WEB Interface - 1996
INBOUND Linking:
SiteBuilder/Durable URL technology - 1997
ProQuest MARC Records - 2000
OUTBOUND Linking:
Intelligent Document Linking - 2000
ProQuest CrossLinks - 2000
Introduction of 3rd Party A&I - 2000 (e.g., CINAHL)
ProQuest SiteBuilderTM:
One of the first to support the concept of a durable link.
Reading rooms, Electronic Reserves, Canned Searches.
SiteBuilder was then incorporated into our MARC records product.
Facilitated direct linking into the ProQuest publication page.
Allows customers to link from locally loaded A&I.
Durable URL:
ProQuest Proprietary structure
Facilitates linking in - OPAC, Web Site Applications
Saved Publication Search Links
American Nurse; Washington
http://proquest.umi.com/pqdlink?Ver=1&Exp=01-21-2002&REQ=3&PUB=000038445&Cert
=lhOC3m0VWFf8l%2bWiRJ1U1%2bzhEZt2an%2fQVkKOO06kjcXxNOhw%2ffQvLI4ULhOb%2bh%2bQYDqj7yE77wgVYgGqHrBgxw--
ProQuest MARC Records
Records are complete CONSER records bought from LC and customized to
match library's requirements. Sample MARC Record specifies: 010 for
the LCCN, 035 for the OCLC control number, 245h indicating computer
file, 773 for aggregator information, 856 for electronic holdings and
URL link to title in ProQuest and the delimiter x indicates this 856
supplied by ProQuest.
Linking Out:
ProQuest CrossLinks
Facilitates outbound linking from ProQuest A&I.
Based on the emerging OpenURL standard.
Supports article level linking.
http://sfx1.exlibrisusa.com/demo?genre=article&sid=ProQ:&atitle=<TITLE>&title=<PUBNAME>&issn=<ISSN>& date=<DATE>&volume=<VOLUME>&issue=<ISSUE>&spage=<SPAGE>&pid=<AUTHOR>
Links managed via LAD (local administration):
Holdings:
Insert exact start and end dates and holdings information
Search for Title in ProQuest
Click on Holdings Link
Select a link to retrieve full text document
View Full Text Article or linkout to non-ProQuest journals
SFX Linking: link to specific provider and links within documents to
related material.
Summary:
As standards evolve ProQuest plans to support them with an 'Open Systems'
philosophy. Our objective is to make our services as configurable as
possible. Allowing for easy integration into your environment.
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Barbara Nicholls
OCLC
Ms. Nicholls commented that OCLC is interested in providing one central
source for records. The three presenters had demonstrated what could
be done to link out to other sources. She suggested that WorldCat could
be used as a source, with options to link out from WorldCat itself.
Bruce Abbott, Moderator and Barbara Nicholls, OCLC
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